T'Kuvma
T'Kuvma (Klingonese spelling: tIquvma) was a 23rd century Klingon warrior, leader of his House and a follower of the ancient teachings of Kahless. Early life When he was young, T'Kuvma rediscovered an ancient ship that had belonged to his father and been abandoned after his death. The derelict was used as a playground for other Klingon children, who attacked T'Kuvma when he tried to chase them away. ( ) Career T'Kuvma repaired the ship and used it as his base of operations. He also developed cloaking devices which he installed on his fleet. Unlike other Klingon Houses, T'Kuvma accepted outcasts such as the albino Voq. ( ) Uniting the Klingon Empire T'Kuvma believed the Federation's claim that "we come in peace" to be a lie, and wanted to use the threat of the Federation to unify the twenty-four Great Houses of the Klingon Empire by focusing their attention on a common enemy. To that end, he placed the Beacon of Kahless in a binary star system near the edge of Federation space, and disabled an interstellar relay to attract the attention of Starfleet. ( ) Giving Voq the honor of activating the Beacon, T'Kuvma then spoke with the members of the Klingon High Council who arrived in the system in response to the signal from the Beacon. Rallying a number of them to his cause, he launched an attack on the gathered Federation vessels, leading to the Battle of the Binary Stars. ( ) After a request from the senior Starfleet commander, Admiral Brett Anderson, for a ceasefire, T'Kuvma accepted, and asked the Human to prepare for the arrival of his envoy. Instead, he ordered one of his cloaked vessels to ram the admiral's ship, the , leading to its destruction. ( ) After declaring victory over the Starfleet vessels, T'Kuvma instructed the High Council members to return to Qo'noS to spread news of the united Empire, and was proclaimed to be "T'Kuvma the Unforgettable" by his supporters L'Rell and Voq. ( ) "The Unforgettable" was the most common epithet used in reference to Kahless. ( ) Remaining behind to collect and sanctify the Klingon dead, T'Kuvma's ship was disabled by the , whose captain, Philippa Georgiou and first officer, Michael Burnham beamed aboard, seeking to capture him and demoralize the Klingon war effort. Engaging Georgiou in combat, T'Kuvma slew the Starfleet captain, before being hit by a phaser blast from Burnham, set to kill.( ) The dying T'Kuvma was told by Voq that he would be remembered forever by all Klingons, and that his death would be the cause to unite the Empire. ( ) Memorable quotes "(in Klingonese) They are coming. Atom by atom, they will coil around us and take all that we are. There is one way to confront this threat. By reuniting the twenty-four warring houses of our own empire. We have forgotten the Unforgettable, the last to unify our tribes: Kahless. Together, under one creed, remain Klingon! That is why we light our beacon this day. To assemble our people. To lock arms against those whose fatal greeting is... (in English) we come in peace." :- T'Kuvma s speech to his followers. ( ) "(in Klingonese) Witness our brother, our torchbearer, killed by the Federation interloper on our sacred beacon. I see yo as you see the end. Our torchbearer honor us...first to die in our crusade of self-preservation...Our ancestors welcome our fallen brother, Rejac, to their Black Fleet. They fight with us, as we fight against our enemy. Remain Klingon!" :- T'Kuvma during Rejac s funeral. ( ) "(in Klingonese) I recognize you as one who has lived his life on the outside and yearns to be part of something bigger than himself. Some may see the color of your skin as nature's mistake. I call it a mirror... for I see myself in you." :- T'Kuvma to Voq on Voq's status ( ) "(in Klingonese) The honor of Torchbearer is yours." :- T'Kuvma to Voq after giving him his bat'leth ( ) "(in Klingonese) "My Presence." "My voyage". "My time." No one speaks of "my duty" or "my honor". ''" :- '''T'Kuvma' to other Klingon leaders ( ) "(in Klingonese) Show respect T'Kuvma. You are nothing. You have not earned a seat on this council." "(in Klingonese) And yet, I am the one who leads the way to our Empire's resurrection." :- Kol and T'Kuvma on the latter's status ( ) "(in Klingonese) But there is no honor without unity. There is no home for any of us, unless it is shared by all.''" :- '''T'Kuvma on a united Klingon Empire ( ) "(in Klingonese) My house is open to all. Including those discarded by you, Kol. But my house is bonded by a single doctrine: Remain Klingon.''" :- '''T'Kuvma to Kol on the former's house ( ) "We have become complacent in the time since we last battled the Federation at Donatu V. Our Purity is a threat to them. They wish to drag us into the muck, where humans, Vulcans, Tellarites, and filthy Andorians mix." :- T'Kuvma to the other Klingon leaders on the idealism of the Federation. ( ) "No! They do not!. They come to destroy our individuality. Shall we rise together and give them the fight they deserve?" :- T'Kuvma on what he thinks of Starfleet's "We come in peace" message ( ) "Admiral. I am T'Kuvma. I am pleased you are here. We have been waiting for someone worthy of our attention. Your offer of a ceasefire is accepted." :- T'Kuvma to Admiral Brett Anderson ( ) "(in Klingonese) Lest anyone doubt that I can render my own vessels invisible." :- T'Kuvma on his ability to cloak his vessels ( ) "(in Klingonese) We have suffered losses... but the Federation has suffered far more. Leaders, return to Qo'noS. Declare far and wide that the Klingon race fights as a united Empire once again!" :- T'Kuvma to the Klingon leaders regarding the recent battle ( ) "Members of the Federation, what you call your most remote borders, I call too close to Klingon territory. You only live now to serve as witnesses of Klingon supremacy, to be my herald. We do not desire to know you. But you will know our great houses, standing as one under Kahless, reborn in me, T'Kuvma." :- T'Kuvma s message to the remaining Starfleet vessels ( ) "(in Klingonese) A Warrior who dies in his sleep is no more than Flesh and bone. A Warrior who perishes honorably in battle is blessed. A Hero's demise brings pride for a life given in defense of our race and comfort in the knowledge that new life awaits in Sto-Vo-Kor. Join your vaunted comrades, brothers and sisters, for you are not alone and stand watch among the Black Fleet forever." :- T'Kuvma on the fallen Klingon warriors ( ) "(In Klingonese) Whom do we seek?" "Kahless." "How do we find him?" "Together" "Give us light to see" "Forever" "Will he hide from us always?" "Never" :- T'Kuvma s and Voq's final moments before T'Kuvma's death ( ) Appendices Background information T'Kuvma was portrayed by Chris Obi. The young T'Kuvma in "Battle of the Binary Stars" was portrayed by Thamela Mpumlwana. Obi compared his character to Moses, noting that "He's an outsider and he has a spiritual moment where he encounters Kahless ... and he is given a message ... and he transforms into a leader, with purpose". ( ) Appearances * ** ** References * ** External links * * Category:Klingons